The present invention relates to a photographic processing chemical supplier for supplying photographic processing chemicals, in particular dry chemicals to a developer solution preparing means. Furthermore the invention relates to cartridges and magazines used in connection with the supplier, to a liquid developer solution preparing arrangement comprising the supplier as well as to a photographic minilab for processing photographic films, which comprises the developer solution preparing arrangement.
In the field of photofinishing technologies, two types of photofinishing environments are mainly known. One of these types concerns minilabs and the other, large-scale photofinishing laboratories. In the minilabs, all kinds of processing needed for the exposed film, for the exposure of the photosensitive paper and the development of the exposed photosensitive paper as well as all splicing and cutting operations necessary for the exposed and developed film and the exposed and developed photosensitive paper are dealt with in one small scale minilab. This minilab is able to process small to medium numbers of films and is meant for use in retail shops, which implies a standing area of the minilab typically below 5 square meter.
On the other hand, large-scale photofinishing laboratories are able to process a huge number of exposed films, which are arranged in film batches. These film batches are processed in special high-speed printer device.
In minilabs it is useful to conduct most of the operations, if not all operations, automatically without wasting time.
Minilabs include one compartment directed to the development of the exposed film and one compartment directed to the development of the exposed photo paper. In the known minilabs as well as in the known types of large-scale photofinishing laboratories, replenishment of the development compartment is not sufficiently operated automatically and some times has to be replenished, if the developer solution in the development compartment is no longer useful for an acceptable result.
The parallel application of the present application, which has the title xe2x80x9cAutomatic Replenishment for a Developing Compartment of a Photofinishing Apparatusxe2x80x9d (European patent application no. 00 106 025.0), was filed under the title xe2x80x9cAutomatic Replenishment for a Treatment Compartment of a Photofinishing Apparatus,xe2x80x9d U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/818,348, and discloses a developer solution preparing arrangement having a high degree of automation, provides a solution for this problem. The disclosure of the parallel application is incorporated by reference.
According to this parallel application a developer solution preparing arrangement comprises a mixing tank which is located between a supply portion, a reception container and a storage container, wherein said latter parts are connected to the mixing tank by conduits. With this feature it is possible to prepare a new developer solution on the basis of dry components in connection with the solvent, which will usually be water or distilled water, while, at the same time, when mixing the new liquid developer solution, unused and active liquid developer solution is available for the development compartment of a development apparatus in a minilab or in a large scale photofinishing laboratory. Correspondingly, if the fresh liquid development solution has been pumped or withdrawn from the storage container to the development compartment of the development apparatus, the prepared fresh developer solution from the mixing tank can be supplied to the storage container and, immediately afterwards, the components of the development solution can be introduced into the mixing tank to prepare a new charge of the liquid developer solution. This is in particular important if dry ingredients in the form of powder or granules have to be dissolute in the solvent, e.g. water, which takes considerable time which can delay the overall function of the respective development apparatus and, correspondingly, of the complete minilab or the complete large scale photofinishing laboratory.
The above-mentioned components, on the basis of which the liquid developer solution is prepared by combining the components with a solvent, are referred to in the following as photographic processing chemicals. The device, which performs the combination, is referred to as a developer solution preparing means. The present invention relates to the supply of these photographic processing chemicals to a developer solution preparing means by means of a supplier. The combination of the developer solution preparing means and the supplier is referred to as developer solution preparing arrangement.
EP 0 611 987 describes the supply of photographic processing chemicals in the form of powder. The powder is contained in a package, which is attached to a screw supplier. The package is opened by a roller if attached.
It is an object of the invention to provide a supplier which minimizes the risk of introduction of dirt or dust into the supplier from the outside and to minimize the pollution or contamination of the surrounding of the supplier by spilling out photographic processing chemicals, while allowing an easy replenishment of photographic processing chemicals into the supplier.
Furthermore it is an object to provide a set of the afore-mentioned suppliers for a developer solution preparing arrangement as well as cartridges and magazines for use with the supplier and the set of suppliers and a supply system comprising the cartridges or magazines and the suppliers or set of suppliers. Finally a developer solution preparing arrangement and a photographic minilab comprising said supplier or set of suppliers should be provided.
The above objects are solved by means of a photographic processing chemical supplier for supplying photographic processing chemicals for processing exposed light-sensitive material, in particular dry chemicals, e.g. in powder or granule form, to a processing solution preparing means, comprising: a container having a receiving opening through which said photographic processing chemicals are receivable in said container and a supply opening through which the received photographic processing chemicals are supplyable out of said container to said processing solution preparing means; wherein an attaching means is constituted such that a cartridge is removably attachable to the supplier by means of said attaching means; and opening/closing means for opening and closing said receiving opening constituted such that said receiving opening is closed if said cartridge is removed and such that said receiving opening is openable or open if said cartridge is attached.
The afore-mentioned objects are at least partially solved by the present invention according to which the photographic processing chemicals may be provided in different form, e.g. liquid, powder, and tablet. Preferably the processing chemicals are in powder or granules form since the powder and the granules have less weight than liquid chemicals and are less aggressive then liquid chemicals. Furthermore powder and granules have the advantage over tablets that the powder dissolves more quickly in a solvent if processed by the developer solution preparing means. A drawback of powder is that it may be inhaled by an operator. The present invention allows to minimize the risk of inhaling that powder as set forth below, if granules are used instead of powder.
The supplier of the present invention may be constituted as a hopper. The container has a receiving opening, preferably located at the top of the container and a supply opening, preferably located at the bottom of the container, through which the received chemicals are supplied to the developer solution preparing means.
The chemicals are stored in cartridges or any other suitable tank. Preferably these cartridges are sealed such that the chemicals may not spill out of the cartridge or tank. The mouth portion of the cartridge is attached to the supplier. As mentioned above, the receiving opening of the supplier is preferably located at the top of the supplier. Therefore, the cartridge is preferably turned up side down such that the mouth portion of the cartridge faces the ground. In a dispense position of the cartridge, the mouth or dispense opening of the cartridge faces the receiving opening or protrudes into the container through the receiving opening.
Of course, the present invention is developed to be used in connection with all chemical processing solutions, which can be supplied in dry form to be dissolved. Accordingly, e.g. a silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material after being exposed to light is then processed in the steps such as a series of developing, desilvering, washing and stabilizing steps. And, a silver halide black-and-white photographic light-sensitive material, after exposed to light, is then processed in the series of developing and fixing steps. In these processes, a black-and-while developer or a color developer for carrying out a developing step, a bleacher or a bleach-fixer for a desilvering step, city water or deionized water for a washing step, a stabilizer for a non-water washing step, and a stabilizer for a dye-stabilizing step, respectively.
In general, a processing device according to the invention includes for instance a developing unit, a fixing unit, a desilvering unit, a washing or stabilizing unit and a drying unit and also a means for automatically transporting a photographic light-sensitive material through each of the processing tank or compartments.
The supplier of the present invention comprises an attaching means, which allows for the attachment of the cartridge, in particular of the mouth portion of the cartridge with the supplier. The attaching means are made such that the cartridge is removably attachable to the supplier. The cartridge, in particular its mouth portion, may be releasably coupled with the supplier by means of the attaching means and may be decoupled at any time.
The supplier of the present invention comprises an opening/closing means, which allows opening and closing the receiving opening. The opening/closing means is constituted such that the receiving opening is closed when no cartridge is set on the supplier, i.e. no cartridge is coupled with the supplier. In other words, the opening/closing means keeps the receiving opening closed when a cartridge or tank is not present at the supplier or is not coupled with the supplier. The opening/closing means preferably closes the receiving opening during removal of the cartridge.
The opening/closing means may be constituted such that it opens the receiving opening after the cartridge has been attached to the supplier. Preferably the opening/closing means opens the receiving opening already during the attachment of the cartridge to the supplier.
The opening and closing operations of the opening closing means may be performed electrotechnically e.g. by motors and gears. The attachment and detachment of a cartridge may be monitored by sensors and the opening and closing may be controlled by a control circuit based on the sensor signals. Preferably the opening/closing means is constituted to interact mechanically with said cartridge for said opening and closing operation, when said cartridge is coupled or decoupled by means of the attaching means. For instance, the cartridge may transfer a movement or moment, e.g. rotational or translational to the opening/closing means or vice versa.
Preferably the opening/closing means is arranged and/or constituted such that the receiving opening is closed by the opening/closing means at least as far as the receiving opening is not covered by the cartridge, in particular in as far as not covered by the mouth portion of the cartridge. In other words, there is preferably an overlap between the covering provided by the cartridge and the covering provided by the opening/closing means. In this way the intrusion of particles into the hopper and the spilling of chemicals out of the hopper during the attachment and removal operation of the cartridge is prevented. Preferably the opening/closing means does not block or interfere with the dispense of chemicals out of the cartridge when the cartridge has reached the dispense position at the end of the attachment procedure.
In order to achieve a full covering of the receiving opening during the attachment or removal process of a cartridge, the opening/closing means is preferably in press contact with the cartridge during the attachment or removal. For this purpose the opening/closing means comprises preferably at least one shutter, which is biased against the cartridge.
The attaching means comprises preferably a guiding path to guide the cartridge along a predetermined path during the attachment and during the removal. The opening/closing means is constituted such that it closes at least that part during the attachment or removal of the cartridge along the known path, which are not covered, by the cartridge. For this purpose, the opening/closing means comprises preferably a shutter, which is guided along a path preferably parallel to the above-mentioned guiding path for the cartridge.
Preferably the mouth portion of the cartridge comprises cover projections for covering the receiving opening or for overlapping with the shutter. Preferably the cover projections cover a plane or area approximately perpendicular to the axis of a cartridge or perpendicular to the direction of dispense of chemicals from the cartridge. The plane of these cover projections is preferably approximately parallel to the above-mentioned guiding path. The cover projections allow in interaction with the shutter to keep the receiving opening covered during the attachment and removal process.
The guiding path is preferably constituted such that the attachment of the cartridge is performed in an at least approximately horizontal plain with the mouth portion facing the ground. If the cartridge is pushed along the guiding path, it contacts the shutter biased against the cartridge and moves the shutter away from the receiving opening in contact with the shutter while covering the open part of the receiving opening with its body and its cover projections.
Preferably the mouth portion of the cartridge projects into the hopper through the receiving opening in order to prevent a spilling of chemicals out of the mouth into the environment of the supplier. In order to allow an introduction of this projecting mouth portion of the cartridge into the hopper, preferably a cartridge opening is provided through which that mouth portion may be introduced into the hopper such that the mouth portion projects through the receiving opening into the interior of the hopper when the cartridge is in the dispense position, while said cartridge does not project through the cartridge opening when the cartridge is in the dispense position. Preferably the dispense opening is connected with the receiving opening. While the receiving opening is preferably provided in the upper cover of the hopper and is in particular horizontal, the dispense opening is preferably provided in an upper part of a sidewall of the hopper and is in particular vertical. Preferably the cartridge opening is arranged such that when the cartridge is moved along the guiding part, in particular approximately parallel to the upper cover of the hopper or container, the projecting part of the mouth portion may enter the container via said cartridge opening. In other words the cartridge opening is preferably in a plane, which is inclined to, or approximately perpendicular to a plane in which the receiving opening is located.
In order to prevent the intruding of external particles into the container or the spilling of chemicals out of container, preferably an openable closing member, e.g. a door is provided through which the projecting mouth portion of the cartridge may enter and leave the container during attachment and detachment. This door preferably automatically closes the cartridge opening at the end of the removal or attachment procedure. Preferably the door is supported such that it may be displaced or pushed out of the way by the cartridge if in contact with the cartridge. Preferably the door is biased such that it automatically returns to a position where it closes the cartridge opening when the door is not in contact with the cartridge, i.e. the door behaves like a door of a saloon. Preferably there is no contact between the door and the cartridge if the cartridge is in its dispense position or fully removed from the supplier. The door preferably closes if there is no contact with the cartridge.
Preferably the above-mentioned cover projections of the cartridge are constituted such that they are close to or in contact with the door if the cartridge is attached to the supplier and in it""s dispense position. In other words, the cover projection of the cartridge cooperates with the door in order to close the container in the region where the cartridge opening and the receiving opening meet or merge.
Preferably the mouth portion of the cartridge is closed at least during the attachment process and preferably also during the removal process. For this purpose the cartridge preferably comprises a cover, e.g. a lid that closes the mouth portion of the cartridge. Preferably the lid comprises an engaging member, e.g. a hook or an engageable recess. Alternatively the dispense opening of the cartridge may e.g. be closed or covered by a foil.
The supplier of the present invention preferably comprises an opening means in order to open the dispense opening of the cartridge if the dispense opening is closed. If the dispense opening is covered e.g. by a foil or film, the opening means may be a cutting means which cuts the foil or film.
Preferably the dispense opening is closed by a cover which allows for a reclosing after the opening. For instance, the dispense opening may be covered by a lid which may be reattached to the mouth portion of the cartridge such that the dispense opening is closed again. Preferably the cover or lid comprises the engaging member to engage with the opening means in order to allow for an opening of the dispense opening and preferably also a reclosing of the dispense opening in particular after the dispense of the chemicals from the cartridge into the hopper. For instance, the opening means may be constituted as a lever, which engages with the engaging member and which may be actuated e.g. by an operator or motor in order to open and close the dispense opening while the lever is in engagement with the engaging member of the lid. Preferably the opening means is arranged such that it comes in engagement with the engaging member of the cover or lid during attachment of the cartridge.
In a photographic minilab typically a number of different photographic processing chemicals are necessary in order to produce or mix developer solutions for developing a film or photographic paper. Typically three different photographic processing chemicals are necessary for the development of a photographic paper and four different photographic processing chemicals are necessary for the development of a film. Therefore preferably a set of the above-mentioned suppliers is provided, which comprises e.g. seven suppliers. The suppliers are preferably arranged one next to the other. This allows a one-step attachment of a number of cartridges at the same time, e.g. four cartridges for the film development or three cartridges for the paper development. For this purpose the cartridges are preferably arranged in magazines. These magazines are constituted such that the cartridges in these magazines are held at a fixed position relative to each other, i.e. the cartridges are attached to the housing of the magazine, which is in particular rigid and may be e.g. of plastics or may be a card board box. The magazine is preferably divided in different sections, each assigned for one cartridge.
In order to allow an easy attachment of the magazine to the set of suppliers such that each cartridge appropriately engages with the attaching means of each supplier, preferably alignment means are provided at least one supplier and preferably at all suppliers. If the suppliers are provided with the above-mentioned door, then each cartridge has to push the door into the inside of the container in order to enter the container with its projecting mouth portion. Therefore, preferably each door comprises an alignment recess or projection, which cooperates or mates with the mouth portion of the cartridge to be inserted into the container. The alignment means is constituted such that each cartridge enters the guiding path when abutting against the alignment means and pressed against the door. Preferably the alignment means has a shape complementary to the shape of the abutting part of the cartridge.
Alternatively or additionally to the alignment means a magazine mounting means is provided. This magazine mounting means comprises a magazine moving member for moving the magazine in a predetermined mounting direction. The mounting direction corresponds with a direction suitable for attaching each of the cartridges in the magazine to the corresponding supplier. The magazine moving member may e.g. push and/or pull the magazine in the predetermined direction by contacting the magazine. For instance, the magazine moving member may comprise at least one wall which contacts at least one side of the magazine and which, if moved, pushes and or pulls the magazine in the predetermined mounting direction in order to attach each of the cartridges of the magazine to the supplier by means of the attaching means. In particular the magazine is moved such that the above-mentioned door is pushed open such that the projecting mouth portion enters in the container. The magazine moving member may be moved by mechanical or electrical means like a motor or a spring. Preferably the magazine mounting means defines a start position and an end position. For mounting, the magazine is set in the start position by an operator such that the magazine is in contact with the magazine moving member. Additionally the above-mentioned aligning means may be used in order to align the magazine properly with the supplier set. Then the magazine is moved with the assistance of the magazine mounting means form the start position toward the end position in a predetermined mounting direction. During this movement the abovementioned shutter and the door is opened by each of the cartridges. When the magazine is in the end position, each of the cartridges of the magazine is in a position ready for disposal of the photographic processing chemicals. The magazine moving member may be constituted such that it does not only move the magazine from the start position to the end position but also from the end position to the start position.
The magazine mounting means may be (electrically or mechanically) coupled with the opening/closing means (e.g. shutter) such that the opening/closing means assists the magazine moving member for moving the magazine from the start to the end position or from the end position to the start position. The coupling of the magazine mounting means in particular of the magazine moving member with the opening/closing means may be such that a pulling or pushing of the magazine moving member from the end position to the start position results in an acting of each of the opening/closing means (shutter) onto each of the cartridges such that each cartridge is pushed by the opening/closing means from the end position towards the start position, if the operator pulls the magazine moving member from the end position to the start position.
Preferably the magazine mounting means is constituted such that an operator has to apply some force in order to remove the magazine from the start position or from the end position. In this way, it is ensured that the magazine does not unintentionally leave the start position or end position.
The present invention also relates to the use of the above-mentioned cartridge or magazine of cartridges with the supplier of the present invention as well as to a system comprising the cartridges or magazines and the suppliers or set of suppliers.
Furthermore, the present invention relates to the above-mentioned arrangement for preparing a liquid developer solution as in particular described in the above-mentioned parallel application having the title xe2x80x9cAutomatic Replenishment for a Developing Compartment of a Photo Finishing Apparatusxe2x80x9d. Finally the invention relates to a photographic minilab, which comprises the suppliers or set of suppliers of the present invention or the above-mentioned arrangement for preparing a liquid developer solution.